Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

rotten

 - 4 dictionary results

rot⋅ten

  [rot-n]
Use rotten in a Sentence
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. decomposing or decaying; putrid; tainted, foul, or bad-smelling.
2. corrupt or morally offensive.
3. wretchedly bad, unpleasant, or unsatisfactory; miserable: a rotten piece of work; a rotten day at the office.
4. contemptible; despicable: a rotten little liar; a rotten trick.
5. (of soil, rocks, etc.) soft, yielding, or friable as the result of decomposition.
6. Australian Slang. drunk.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME roten < ON rotinn, ptp. of an unrecorded verb meaning “to rot”

Related forms:
rot⋅ten⋅ly, adverb
rot⋅ten⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. fetid, rank. 2. immoral. 4. disgusting, unwholesome; treacherous.

Antonyms:
1. sound. 2. moral.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rotten
rot·ten   (rŏt'n)   
adj.   rot·ten·er, rot·ten·est

  1. Being in a state of putrefaction or decay; decomposed.

  2. Having a foul odor resulting from or suggestive of decay; putrid.

  3. Made weak or unsound by rot: rotten floorboards.

  4. Morally corrupt or despicable: She's rotten to the core.

  5. Very bad; wretched: rotten weather.

adv.  To a very great degree: The child is spoiled rotten.

[Middle English roten, from Old Norse rotinn.]
rot'ten·ly adv., rot'ten·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
rotten

  1. mod.
    smelly; disgusting. (Not slang.) : What is that rotten smell?
  2. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. (From sense 1. See also putrid.) : It takes a case of beer to get Wilbur rotten.
  3. mod.
    poor or bad. (From sense 1.) : We have nothing but one rotten problem after another.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

rotten 
c.1225, from O.N. rotinn "decayed," pp. of verb related to rotna "to decay," from P.Gmc. stem *rut- (see rot). Sense of "corrupt" is from c.1380; weakened sense of "bad" first recorded 1881. Rotter "objectionable person" is recorded from 1894. Rotten apple is from a saying traced back to at least 1528: For one rotten apple lytell and lytell putrifieth an whole heape.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see rotten on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way